C’s Avoid Sweep as Knicks Comeback Falls Short in OT

The Knicks once
again spotted the Celtics a first half to forget but unlike Game 1 and 2 they
were not able to finish the comeback this time around. The Celtics went up by as many as 20 points
but once again imploded in the second half, giving the Knicks an opportunity to
get back in the game and even take a lead at the end. The Knicks struggled to put the ball in the
basket throughout the game without Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, who was
suspended for the afternoon after a flagrant-2 foul when he elbowed Jason Terry
in Game 3. The Knicks will look to
bounce back and close out the series Wednesday night back at Madison Square
Garden with Smith back in the lineup.

-Positives

·Raymond
Felton was great for the Knicks tonight.
He stepped up huge in the scoring department with the Knicks needing
someone to score alongside Carmelo Anthony.
Felton had a monster third quarter to get the Knicks back on track and
make the Celtics lead disappear. Felton
scored 16 of his 27 in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in a 17-7 stretch
the Knicks went on to end the quarter to cut the Celtics lead to three heading
into the fourth. Felton also gave the
Knicks their first lead of the game with a jumper with 1:18 left in the fourth
quarter, but the Knicks were unable to hold onto lead. In addition to the 27 points, Felton finished
the game adding four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

·Iman
Shumpert also played a big role for the Knicks in their comeback. Shumpert had five points and six rebounds in
the third quarter and added seven more points in the fourth as he saw his
minutes increased today with Smith sidelined.
Shumpert also played great defense throughout the afternoon, including a
steal and layup in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 74. Shumpert played as good of defense as a
player at the size disadvantage he was matching up with Paul Pierce and Jeff Green
throughout the game. Shumpert finished
the game with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while
adding two blocks and two steals as well.

·Tyson
Chandler had quite possibly his strongest game of the season in Game 4. He grabbed 11 rebounds in 31 minutes of play,
adding five points, one assist and one steal.
Chandler has looked a little off after hurting his neck and missing 16
of 20 games heading into the playoffs but looks to be rounding into shape a
little more as the series wears on. He still
has his moments where he doesn’t look all the way back but he is definitely improving
from Game 1 and 2.

-Negatives

·Without
Smith coming off the bench there was virtually no production from the second
unit of the Knicks. In a role reversal
from the first three games, the Celtics bench outscored the Knicks bench 22-7
as Martin scored four points and Novak scored three. Without Smith the Knicks relied heavily on
the starting unit to provide all of the scoring; Smith was sorely missed this
afternoon.

·Anthony
had another big scoring night getting 36 points, but it was not an easy 36 by
any means. He shot 10 of 35 from the
field but did make 16 of 20 foul shots, missing two crucial free throws in the
fourth quarter with the game tied. Statistically
though, Anthony was the worst player on the court today, ending with a -10; the
Knicks made their run in the third quarter with him on the bench behind the
play of Felton. Anthony also turned the
ball over seven times, looking almost disinterested at times throughout the
game and not playing with the same edge he had in the first three games of the
series and down the stretch of the regular season. Everyone has a bad shooting day once in a
while and could not have come at a better time as the Knicks entered up 3-0.

·The
first half was as bad as the Knicks have played at any point of the season,
looking like they did during the disastrous west coast trip in March. They turned the ball over 12 times, more than
they did per full game in the regular season, and could not hit water if they
fell out of a boat in the ocean let alone put the ball in the basket. The Knicks scored only 35 points in the first
half and did not look ready at the start of the game.

·The
shooting for the Knicks was rough throughout the afternoon, as they shot 34.4
percent going 31 of 90 from the field. The
three point shooting was not much better, as they shot seven of 30 for 23.3
percent. The Knicks will need better
efficiency in Game 5 to close out the series and finish off the Celtics.